Day 38: Lander to Dubois

Total mileage: 81

Breakfast: Holiday Inn Express, on the west side of town, with our fellow touring cyclist, Peter. We taught him our sneaky ways; he was delighted and amused. (This was our favorite continental breakfast so far.) We were sorry to leave Lander so quickly, but glad to get on the road before the sun got too aggressive.

Morning Riding: beautiful, along creeks, through a twisting canyon, with changing colors of rocks (red!), and lovely mountains.

Thankfully the road wasn't as straight as it looks in this photo!

Encounters: we met up with three touring cyclists! Two of them were traveling together at about our speed, so we stayed together for a lot of the ride into Dubois. It was fun to ride in a bigger group and to hang out with some new people. (Suddenly we were feeling very social, meeting all these other cyclists.)

Afternoon Riding: post lunch, the canyons were still beautiful, the colors still stunning. The wind picked up (of course) and we started trading off leading into the headwind. We split with our new buddies at lunch, then fortuitously found them about ten miles from Dubois. After a nice stretching break, we rode most of the way into town (through the wind) together.

Pie: this pie was better than the famous pie at Cooky's (though the coconut pie there was very good). If you're ever in Dubois, WY, we highly recommend the Cowboy Cafe. The food looked excellent, too, even though we didn't buy anything else.

Yum, yum, and more yum

Dubois: we really liked Dubois! It had a somewhat bizarre Western flair to lure in the tourists, but seemed to be a genuinele nice place to live. Cars (drivers, really) were very polite to us on our bicycles, and even though there were many tourists, there were also clearly real people who like living there. The coffee shop the next morning was excellent, too, both for the company and the coffee (and the warmth). It had been a long, long time since we had tasted good coffee!

Day 37: Wyoming Winds (Rawlings to Lander)

Total mileage: 64

No one warned us about the winds in Wyoming. They only told us about Kansas, which (in comparison) wasn't bad at all. It turns out that the winds in Wyoming are quite the force to contend with. We had a mostly lovely morning ride from Rawlings to Muddy Gap (after a free continental breakfast at the local Hampton Inn). ("Mostly lovely," I.e., there was one terrible stretch with the shoulder crumbling to pieces, but... the views were still fabulous.)

However, by the time we had eaten a snack, chatted with a nice Swiss cyclist (she was from Bern), and gotten back on our bikes, the winds were howling across the plains.

Typical southern Wyoming landscape

The trouble was that the wind wasn't usually a straight headwind, but a vicious crosswind that threatened to knock us over with each gust. We slogged along for almost 8 miles, at which point Alix got blown off the road. We decided that we didn't have the mental stamina to make it without a break so we pulled off the road at a historic marker and took a breather and stretching break.

"Split Rock." It looks more split from the other direction. Used by early Mormons and wagon train travelers to navigate through the vast southern Wyoming landscape.

We then decided that it would be best to hitchhike, since continuing on was a seriously painful concept (more than anything, crosswinds really make your body hurt). After chatting up a few cars at the rest area, we tried our luck at hitchhiking from the road. In just a few minutes, an RV showed up that had passed us and then decided to turn around and pick us up! We managed to squeeze the bikes into the living area and spent the next hour or so chatting with the family as they whooshed us north. They were from Georgia, headed to Yellowstone for vacation. Feeling the wind destabilize the RV made us happy to be off our bikes! We figured we could see the scenery just fine from inside the vehicle.

We ended up riding with the family until 8 miles outside of Lander, when they stopped to figure out some engine issues. By then, the wind had died down and we had a lovely ride into town. We stopped at a bike shop to fix up Sonja's handlebar tape and ended up chatting with a very helpful employee there. She even looked up the weather forecast for us for the next several days! We got the impression from talking to her that Lander was a pretty neat little town.

The rocks are layered with different colors. The red is the most striking.

We also met Peter, an east-bound cyclist at the bike shop. We decided it had been far too long since we had had margaritas, so all three of us headed to a nearby Mexican restaurant when we were done at the shop. We had an excellent time getting to know Peter and munching on the free chips and salsa that came with our drinks. Afterwards, we all headed to the city park, where they let anyone camp for free! We enjoyed another of our weird dinners there, as well as more delightful conversation with our new friend.

National Parks (and no cell service)

We promise to update more soon!! We've been busily enjoying the Grand Tetons and are heading into Yellowstone today. It's been excellent in every way (though we wouldn't turn down some more tailwinds).

Day 36: Hot Springs in Wyoming (Walden to Rawlings)

We bid Sarah goodbye this morning, and she headed back up over the pass while Alix and Sonja headed into Wyoming. Our penultimate new state together! 

The land is too dry in Wyoming to grow much other than grass and consequently cattle. In some places, it's also too windy for less sturdy plants to grow. 

The Wyomingins are quite into the cowboy symbol.

It got really windy about 20 miles into our ride and we had to start trading drafting again. We were really glad to be in Saratoga when we got there, and even more excited when we found a good grocery store, a microbrewery, and free public hot sulphur springs. Such a cool thing for a town to have! We were delighted to sit in the springs and also in the cool, neighboring river.

After the hot springs it was still pretty windy, and we'd heard that the wind only gets worse further north. We'd also heard that one of the roads we had to ride on was unpleasant... so, we ended up hitching a ride with a grandpa and his grandkids who we'd met at the hot springs up to Rawlins. The girls live on a working ranch and are SO smart and fun and aware of the world---We were really impressed with them. They also showed us their horses and their recent foals. Thus continuing the baby animal trend.

She was born the day before! 

Huge oil refinery in Sinclair. Gas stations are named after this town.

Day 35: Colorado at its Finest (Silverthorne to Walden)

Today was our longest mileage day yet! (Both on this trip and ever.) Total mileage: 120. (Before you get too impressed, bear in mind that a lot of that was downhill.) Out was also probably the most beautiful consecutive 100+ miles we've ridden on this trip. 

The west is a lot different from the east. We've mainly experienced that difference as oohing and awing over landscapes more, going further between towns, fewer churches and no dollar generals, and far less time spent hanging out in gas stations. Today really highlighted the beauty, vastness, and variety of the Colorado landscape. 

Highlights:

• Riding by this amazingly beautiful lake in the morning. Fun little hills on the road.
• Riding downhill for much of the morning!
• Rocks of various colors. Beautiful rivers.
• Crazy rock formations, that we don't know how they were made. (Geos people?)
• Crossing the continental divide again, and enjoying the gradual climb to it. Alix and Sonja took advantage of this unique opportunity (pee-portunity?) and relieved themselves in both oceans at once.
• Pine bark disease, and lots of dead pine trees covering the mountainsides. This was actually really sad, and we tried to console ourselves by pretending it was winter and they were deciduous. 

That beautiful lake, very full because of all the recent rains. 

Water draining the lake

Day 34: Ski Towns in the Summer (Hartsel to Silverthorne)

Total distance: 70 miles

We got going a little late after having breakfast at the gorgeous ranch in Hartsel. After rolling over 3 miles of dirt/gravel roads, we were back on the trail.

We battled headwinds for a bit, before stopping in Fairplay to buy groceries for the day. Then we made a stop in nearby Southpark to take a photo!

Clearly missing a biking buddy!

The climb up to Hoosier pass turned out to be pretty gradual. We traveled a good distance up without really noticing it! But a final four miles of steady uphill on the pass itself made us realize we were going up a mountain. Luckily none of us were struggling too much with the altitude and we made it up just fine.

This is what our bikes look like at over 11,000 feet of elevation

Highest point on the trail!

Classic cartwheel photo

We took a few moments at the top before we noticed dark clouds blowing in over the peak. We ended up racing a thunderstorm down the mountain. We were freezing during the descent but overheating by the time we got to Breckenridge!  Colorado weather has definitely been the most unpredictable of any state yet. You can't tell what's coming until its right over you. Its a little frightening.

Luckily, we beat the storm to the ski town of Breckenridge, which also happens to be a very busy place in the summer. We had lunch and then paid a visit to one of the many breweries in the area.

A toast to making it down the mountain!

View from the brewery

After stopping by the bike store for some work on Alix's gears, we wound our way over to Silverthorne on a lovely smooth bike path. Its pretty exciting not to be dodging cars occasionally, and we loved the many views of rivers and reservoirs. The path down the side of the Dillon dam was the steepest bike path we've seen! After a stop at a Walmart and a Pearl Izumi outlet, we headed to our host's home in Silverthorne. A huge thank you to our hosts (Sarah's past ski coach and his family) for letting us spend the night!

The bike path near Dillon. Every town should have one!

Day 35: Silverthorne to Walden

Saturday brought us through an incredible variety of Colorado's terrain. As we departed Silverthorne, the high rockies faded behind us and we followed the Blue River into Colorado's northern brushland. After a scenic tour around Green Mountain reservoir, we turned East (seemingly the wrong direction!) at Kremmling and headed through Byer's Canyon to lunch in Hot Sulphur Springs. It was too hot and too expensive to soak in the springs, so we loaded up on extra water and continued another sixty miles over the gorgeous, aptly named, and surprisingly quiet Willow Creek Pass. Though the climb was relatively easy, the day's 120 miles took their toll on me, and I struggled to keep moving the final flat 20 miles into Walden.
Upon arrival in Walden, I downed a protein shake from the gas station, perking me up quite a bit, and we made camp in City Park. Sonja and Alix set up their tent near the baseball diamond, and I spent the night in the park's gazebo with another cyclist, Kevin from London, who was on his way south.

Sonja at Green Mountain Reservoir

Alix and Sonja in Byer's Canyon

A keyhole in a geologic dyke on Willow Creek Pass 

The dyke on Willow Creek Pass

The mountains, the mountains!

The last twenty miles to Walden 

Sunset in Walden

Day 34: Hartsel to Silverthorne

When Sonja told me she would be riding through Colorado on her cross-country journey this summer, I was looking forward to spending a rest day with her and Alix hiking one of my favorite peaks near Frisco or relaxing by Lake Dillon. I’m not sure how I ended up riding through Summit County with them instead, but 3.5 days, 300 miles, and 14,000 vertical feet later, I couldn't be happier (or more sore) about my decision to ride with them instead. 

On Friday, I shared my winter stomping grounds with Alix and Sonja, as we rode from Hartsel through Alma (America’s highest incorporated town) and over Hoosier Pass for their first Continental Divide Crossing. The climb wasn’t too hard, but as we approached the top, a thunderstorm rolled in in true Colorado Fashion. We hastily descended to ultra-busy Breckenridge, where we paused for lunch and a beer at the Breckenridge Brewery.  Gradually we made our way along the Summit County bike path to Silverthorne, detouring to a bike shop, Walmart, the Pearl Izumi Outlet. Finally, we arrived at the house of my former ski coach for the night. 

Sonja and Alix between Hartsel and Fairplay, on their way to the MOUNTAINS! 

South Park is a real place. We were there. 

Highest point on the Trans-Am and first divide crossing!

Alix and Sonja enjoying some of Breck's finest beer.